A group of Canadians from Nova Scotia who go by the name of Bayesian Empiritheurgy have created a playable violin made from paper mache. Inspired by South American ingenuity the aim is to make very low cost musical instruments. For this project the mold for the violin’s body was 3D printed in two halves which were then glued together.

We’ve already seen the world’s first 3D printed band but their instruments’ bodies were fully printed. This violin was constructed from several layers of paper mache that were laid over the 3D printed mold and left to dry.

Once the violin body had set it was time attach the neck, bridge and tuners, some parts of which also produced on a 3D printer. The strings were wound using a power drill and some picture hanging wire.

The team (of two) spent around 80 hours developing the finished violin, most of which was research and prototype development. Was all the time invested worth it? Watch this video to find out.